The focus of VS09 was on homeland defense and civil support. The exercise included scenarios to achieve exercise objectives within the maritime, aerospace, ballistic missile defense, cyber, consequence management, and counter terrorism situations.

VS09 ran concurrent with other Department of Defense-sponsored and international exercises to more realistically test the synchronized response of federal, state, local and international mission partners in preparation for homeland defense, homeland security and civil support missions in the United States and abroad.

VS09 was a Command Post Exercise (CPX). During the CPX, many of the forces involved in the exercise were notional and most of the real forces and equipment were not deployed from their home bases.

NORAD is the bi-national command charged with aerospace warning and control, missile warning as well as maritime warning for the United States and Canada.

Formed in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, USNORTHCOM is responsible for Homeland Defense and civil support missions.